Apple’s iPod business, for example, is still worth $5 billion. Here’s an interesting metric to show how big the iPod still is in comparison to other companies, though. New mobile ad traffic data from Opera Mediaworks suggests that just a single iPod — the iPod touch — accounts for more web traffic than BlackBerry and Windows Phone combined.

According to the data, Apple’s iPod touch still accounts for about 3.15% of all global web traffic. That’s just a splash in Apple’s 38.17% web traffic dominance, but compared to traffic from Windows Phones (0.18%) and BlackBerries (1.14%), it might as well be a flood.

Not that Apple’s totally on top, you understand. For the first time ever, Android surpassed iOS as the major platform in the smart device market: 42.83% of all web traffic coms through Android. When you consider the fact that Apple controls more than a third of all web traffic with just a handful of devices, though, that number looks less impressive. It takes thousands of different handsets — many of them extraordinarily cheap — for Android to achieve dominance.

About the author:

John Brownlee is a Contributing Editor. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.

Mark Langston

“It takes thousands of different handsets — many of them extraordinarily cheap — for Android to achieve dominance.”

This statement says it all when anyone compares the so-called dominance of Android. In the mobile space Apple sells only 2 variants of their phone and tablet and they’re STILL the one to beat.

But 0.18% percent for Windows Phone is woefully pathetic. I don’t understand how they’re still lagging behind the practically dead BlackBerry. Wow!!

Robson Masta

What I actually cannot believe is how would Windows Phone get only 0.18% web traffic, when it got a couple-digit marketshare in US and anywhere between 10-23% here in EU. What, don’t Windows Phone users access the Internet on their devices? That is weird. I mean, mobile IE is really good, in fact it beats the living hell out of Chrome on Android, that’s for sure. Really weird. I wonder what is the methodology (but then again, I’m too lazy to actually find it out).

Scott Humble

I would question whether their target market would allow them to have a large enough sample size from multiple sources to effectively gauge traffic for platforms outside of iPhone and Android. I know that Opera mini is available for Windows Phone but the benefits for a third party browser on the platform isn’t going to be compelling for most. I’m sure they have an SDK for app developers but it doesn’t appear to be integrated into the Unified Ad Control Project for Windows Phone on Codeplex. Hell, even Google’s own Admob is integrated into this project. They also use their, “cross platform” app store for source data but it doesn’t support Windows Phone. That is a good thing from of point of view. So, if their browser penetration is low and their SDK isn’t widely adopted throughout their ad providers, that leaves web clicks for source data. Assuming that IE doesn’t restrict tracking metrics through built-in security, there is still the question of whether they will see enough web traffic to have a statistically viable data set. Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t but I wouldn’t use data from one advertising group to put a feather in my cap in a vain attempt to diminish the competition. Conversely, if that provides a much needed ego boost, have at it.